So many reasons for joy to fill our hearts this year

Spreading joy, glad tidings and making some wishes with these random thoughts for a Christmas Day:

Bob Highfill

Spreading joy, glad tidings and making some wishes with these random thoughts for a Christmas Day:

» Let's hope Santa filled the Raiders' stockings with magic, so their loyal fans have a team to be proud of next season.

» May the 49ers' Justin Smith, Mario Manningham and Vernon Davis get healthy and back on the field in time for the playoffs.

» To Ricky Barnes, Lavelle Hawkins, Tim Brown, Lynell Hamilton, Tyronne Gross and other area athletes, who have not forgotten where they came from and given back so generously to their community: Thank you and Merry Christmas to you all.

» To Bob Thomason, may this Christmas in your 25th and final season as Pacific's men's basketball coach be the best ever.

» May Dick McClure continue to cheer and jeer in full throat at Spanos Center without fear of rabbit-eared officials.

» May Dallas Braden regain full use of his left shoulder and get back on the mound in the major leagues, where he should be.

» To Andy Prokop of the United Way and this year's Stocktonian of the Year, may your sports memorabilia collection grow to be as large as your spirit. But then you'd need to find a much bigger office.

» The NHL can't get its act together, but we can be grateful we have the Thunder to follow this winter, a first-class organization and team.

» Would it be too much to ask for another exciting season from the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants? Come on Santa.

» May the Golden State Warriors continue their winning path and turn "We Believe" into "We Belong."

» To our area high school and community college student-athletes, who worked to achieve their dreams of competing and studying at a college or university, best wishes for a bright future.

» To assistant sports editor Sam Smith, page designers Marty Greenstein and Tony Acosta, reporters Scott Linesburgh, Jagdip Dhillon and Stephen Roberson, and stringers Mark Godi, Kevin Niendorf, Scott Niendorf and Dave Campbell, and outdoors writer Peter Ottesen, the hardest working team in the business, and their wives and significant others who put up with the long hours, thank you, Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas.

» And to our readers, thank you and best wishes for a happy and healthy 2013.